ATTACHEMENT - Influence of early attachment on later relationships

Question 1

what is the Internal Working Model ?

Answer 1

Our mental representations of the world. This model affects our future relationships because it carries our perception of how relationships should be like.

Question 2

why is the quality of a babies first attachment important?

Answer 2

It will affect the nature of their future relationships

Question 3

A good first relationship will lead to…

Answer 3

seeking out functional relationships and behave functionally within them.

Question 4

A child with bad experiences with their first attachment…

Answer 4

may struggle to form relationships in the first place or may not behave appropriately within relationships. (insecure avoidant/resistant behaviour displayed)

Question 5

What did Kerns (1994) find about the quality of relationships in later childhood?

Answer 5

SECURELY ATTACHED CHILDREN = best quality friendship
INSECURELY ATTACHED = difficulties with friendship

Question 6

What did Myron-Wilson + Smith (1988) find about bullying behaviour?

Answer 6

SECURE = unlikely to be involved in bullying
INSECURE AVOIDANT = victims
INSECURE RESISTANT = bullies

Question 7

Outline procedure of Myron-Wilson + Smith (1988)?

Answer 7

• 196 (7-11yrs)
• London children
• assessed using questionnaire

Question 8

Outline the procedure of McCarthy (1999)?

Answer 8

• 40 adult women
• assessed when they were babies to establish early attachement
• to assess association between romantic relationships and attachment

Question 9

what did McCarthy (1999) find about relationships in adulthood?

Answer 9

• secure infants = best quality friendship + romantic relationships
• INSECURE AVOIDANT = struggled with intimacy
• INSECURE RESISTANT = problems maintaining friendships

Question 10

Outline the procedure of Hazan and shaver (1987)?

Answer 10

• looked at association between attachement and adult relationships
• analysed 620 replies to love quiz
• 3 sections:

1. assessed current or most important relationship
2. general love experienced eg number of partners
3. attachement type of person

Question 11

what are the findings and conclusions of Hazan and Shaver (1987)?

Answer 11

secure (56%) = good and longer lasting relationships. Trusting and close

Avoidant (25%) = jealousy + fear of intimacy. uncomfortable about becoming close to their partner/feared commitment.

Resistant (19%)= fears rejection from partner, strong desire to maintain closeness. Tended to feel they weren’t receiving enough love from their partner.

Question 12

what are the conclusions of Hazan and Shaver (1987)?

Answer 12

these findings suggest that patterns of attachement are reflected in romantic relationships

Question 13

what did Bailey et al (2006) find about relationships as parents?

Answer 13

• there is an attachement cycle = found that majority of women recreated the same quality of attachement they had received as a child, with their own babies.

Question 14

what did Quinton et al (1984) find about relationships as parents?

Answer 14

• poor parenting = found that ex-institutionalised women had difficulties as parents, creating a cycle of privation.
• lacking warmth when interacting with children
• had children who spent time in care

Question 15

Give the strengths of research into attachment and later relationships?

Answer 15

+ research support
Fearon and Roisman (2017) - concluded early attachment consistently predicts later attachment, emotional well-being, and attachment to own children.So whilst insecure and secure attachement seems to convey mild disadvantages, disorganised attachment is strongly linked with later mental disorder.
= secure attachment as a baby conveys advantages for future development.

Question 16

give limitations of research into attachment and later relationships?

Answer 16

• not all evidence supports the existence of close links between early attachment and later development
  eg. Becker-Stoll et al (2008) followed 43 individuals from age 1 and to 16, and assessed their attachment = there was no evidence of continuity.
  = this means it is not clear to what extent early attachment predicts later development
• validity issues with retrospective studies
  most research on the link between early attachment and later development arents longitudinal = questions are normally asked to adolescents or parents to identify attachment type.
  This causes validity problems:
  1. Ps may not be honest and accurate
  = this means measure of early attachment used in most studies may be confounded with other factors making them meaningless.
• confounding variables
  associations between attachment quality and later development may be affected by confounding variables. eg parenting style may influence both attachment quality and later development.
  genetically influenced personality may be an influence on both factors = this means that we can never be entirely sure if early attachment influenced later development.